Electrodeless Lamp

FUJI-KIZAI offers various products based on keywords such as energy-saving and labor-saving and focuses on selling electrodeless fluorescent lamps (EFL) that is attracting attention as the next generation lights.

Because ‘Electrodeless fluorescent lamps’ have no firmament in the emission tube like fluorescent and mercury lamps, they are the second-generation style lights with a new emission system which last forever.

Electrodeless fluorescent lamps live innovatively long, they last 16 years (approx. 60,000 hours) based on 10 hours a day use. That is five times the usage potential of mercury lamps that are used in high ceiling warehouses. Power consumption is one-third that of mercury lights and that is a huge merit being able to cut the power bill and the bulb replacements by such a large amount.

Also, another key feature for these lamps is the ability to turn on and off and back on instantly. Also, the generating temperature of the lamp heat is a relatively low temperature of 70 to 80 degrees Celsius. For these reasons, compared to mercury lamps (the generating temperature is 300 to 400 degrees Celsius which is very high.) that cannot be turned back on after being switched off until the temperature is low enough, the cost of the air conditioning can be cut down significantly. Because of the high energy savings potential, these lamps are drawing huge attention as a replacement of mercury lamps.

The emission principle of the electrodeless fluorescent lamps is based on applying a 240 kHz current in the induction coil wrapped in the ferrite cores, generating an inductive loop that emits electrons. The electrons then excite the amalgam gas, and that generates ultraviolet rays, visible light is created when these ultraviolet rays meet the applied fluorescent substance in the lamp.

Compared to traditional fluorescent lamps, the feature is that the filament electrode required for discharging is not in a glass tube.

LED have different emission principles as the point emission for the emission diode, but it actually has common advantages to the electrodeless fluorescent lamps.

Electrodeless fluorescent lamps’ feature is a long service life that lasts 60,000 hours compared to on average a 40,000 to 50,000 hour life for LED too. Compared to mercury lamps and traditional fluorescent lamps, the amount of heat generated is small, the energy saving effect is high, and they are both environmentally friendly as they don’t contain harmful substances like mercury. Also, the ability for instant turn on/turn off functionality features in both.

One of the merits for installing electrodeless fluorescent lamps is that the light generated is similar to natural light. The light source property that affects the appearance of the color is called color rendering properties, that color rendering index set by JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) regulation is more than 80 (more natural light is closer to 100) compared to on average 70 for LED so this is an improvement over LED lighting.

The strong directional LED illuminates intensively on the specific part that is exposed like a spotlight but electrodeless fluorescent lamps have a feature that brightens the whole space illuminating a large area. It depends on the lamp, supposedly some lamps can create a lot less shade which makes work easier.

Also, electrodeless fluorescent lamps are cheaper than LED products so they’re perfect for medium and high output lights, and the lighter weight to install is also a merit.

The environment that electrodeless fluorescent lamps are not good with is as a small light in regular homes. It is not suitable for small output lamps under 40 w mercury lamps.

LED lights are better than electrodeless fluorescent lamps for use as a light that brightens a specific part intensively like a spotlight. In addition, another con is that the emission part is made from glass so keep in mind that it is fragile.

Electrodeless fluorescent lamps progressed well to become popular in the 90’s in Europe and the United States, they have been applied aggressively as light sources for the main tourist places including commercial facilities, factories, distribution centers, highway tunnels and airports. Research development and patent applications are lead by China, and they are gaining increased attention in Japan too.

Example of electrodeless fluorescent lamps being used in Japan is in indoor pools, public gymnasiums, warehouses, food factories and machinery factories. It is famously known that electrodeless fluorescent lamps were adopted for the Rainbow Bridge’s light ups illumination on the capital expressway in Tokyo.

FUJI-KIZAI have a lot of installation cases of electrodeless fluorescent lamps in fishing ports and fish markets. For example, 20 inverter integrated electrodeless fluorescent lamps (120 w) painted with heavy-duty salt-resistant paint which is resistant to sea breezes and moisture were installed in the fisheries cooperative fish market in Higashi City, Kagoshima, Japan. We have been receiving a great feedback from customers saying ‘The electrodeless fluorescent lamps brighten large areas, so our factory became brighter than before. Work starting at 3 am has gotten easier for sorting and weighing.’, ‘It is similar to natural light, so it has become easier for checking the freshness of fish. Snapper used to look white before but with the electrodeless fluorescent lamps, they now appear as an authentic beautiful color when evaluating.’, ‘The light is brighter but the number of the lamps used is only a quarter and at a lower cost too.’ (News article published in Suisan (fishery) newspaper on 27 January, 2014)